[Backdated to Friday/Open]

[elementofloyalty]

[Not everyone was off having a grand old time at the Homecoming Dance.]

[For example, take this pegasus pony, who -- after clearing the clouds out from around Balamb as promised -- has snuck a purloined cumulus into the Training Center. Not terribly deep inside, but high enough to be out of range of danger, she lies on her cloud and looks miserable.]

[She is, after all, clearly not cool enough to go to the stupid dance where no one wants her around anyone and it's not like she has anyone to impress so she gets an invite onto the Wonderbolts so why should she bother even showing up.]

[Stupid dance. Stupid Garden. She's way too cool for ANY of them.]

Comments

[elementofloyalty]

[Here's where Rainbow ought to make a short joke -- err, a smart remark, or some sort of snark.]

[Here's also where Rainbow remembers the conversation they had at the date auction.]

[...Maybe Ed would understand. Well. No, there's no way he'd understand. But maybe he would listen.]

[She looks over the edge of the cloud at him as all this goes through her mind, then she takes off from it to land on the ground next to him.]

Promise not to laugh.

[rewritethis]

I'm not laughing. [He does his best to look indifferent. ...Although, privately, he's a little relieved already. Scowling up at her like that was going to make his neck ache sooner or later.]

[elementofloyalty]

I mean it. Actually promise not to laugh, don't just say you won't laugh and then as soon as I say it, start laughing.

[She knows how these things work.]

[rewritethis]

[HOW DID SHE GUESS]

Okay, fine. I promise. But I bet it's not as big a deal as you think it is. So?

[elementofloyalty]

[That's probably the wrong thing to say, because Rainbow turns away, dropping to a disconsolate seat on the ground.]

You'll just think it's stupid and yell at me. Or insult me.

[rewritethis]

[He sighs and starts counting off on his fingers.] No insults, no yelling, no laughing. Happy? Because you won't be as long as you're just sitting around up there and moping by yourself.

[elementofloyalty]

[For some crazy reason, she's starting to regret this, but...]

...Nopony bid on me at the auction.

[rewritethis]

[He waits expectantly for a few more seconds after that, but nothing else seems forthcoming. Huh.]

...And what, you wanted them to?

[Well, he isn't laughing...]

[elementofloyalty]

[She waves her forehooves angrily, almost plaintively.]

I'm fast! I'm awesome! I'm cool! People should have been lining up for miles for the chance to bid on me!

[rewritethis]

[To his credit, he stops himself from laughing.] I dunno. I didn't get the impression anyone was taking it that seriously. [...Apart from him before he stormed off.] And you didn't sign up for it in the first place, so what's the difference?

[Yeah, remember that part of your master plan, Rainbow?]

[elementofloyalty]

The POINT is that if -- I dunno -- if a Wonderbolt were on an auction like that, half of Equestria would show up for the bidding. How can I every be that cool if I can't get one bid?

[rewritethis]

[Shrug.] If you'd been paying attention, you'd know being cool or good at what you do doesn't have a damn thing to do with what's popular. Who cares how many bids someone else would get in some other world? You're here. [...And most of the people in that auction weren't ponies. He doesn't want to press the point, though.] That's not your fault.

[elementofloyalty]

You don't understand because you don't care what anyone thinks about you. But no one comes to see someone perform if they don't LIKE them.

[rewritethis]

[He'll take that as a compliment.]

Don't be st- [Oh, no insults. Goddamnit. Scratch that.] Of course they do! How else is a new performer supposed to get any audience?

[elementofloyalty]

By being so amazing and cool that people can't help but sit up and take notice!

[rewritethis]

[So she's allowed to yell?! He settles for an exasperated noise.] Point is, the people who went to that thing weren't there to evaluate you. It was just about whether they'd want to date you. Nothing related. You remember that much, right? And you're... [He waves a hand at her vaguely.] you.

[elementofloyalty]

[She's the one with the problem! And she didn't make any promises!] But the two go together! By now everyone should think I'm so awesome and cool that they'd be racing to bid on me, like I said!

...but apparently being me means I'm not good enough, huh.

[Yeah, she took that last statement personally. If Ed had been video-taping this, he probably could have pinpointed the exact frame her heart shattered from that comment.]

[rewritethis]

Don't start with that! You know that's - [He stops and pinches the bridge of his nose. Can't she see how difficult this is for him? In a conversation with almost anyone else, he'd have given up by now, promises or not...] I mean, you know that's not what I meant.

[He lowers his hand.] I'm just saying, the two don't go together. It might look like they do, but then you're forgetting all the other factors involved. So the sooner you throw that idea out, the sooner you can quit beating yourself up over it.

[elementofloyalty]

No, I don't know what you meant. Because I didn't know there was more than one way to interpret, "No one will bid on YOU, Rainbow, because you're YOU."

[And no, she doesn't know how difficult it is. She's never really seen him interact with others, after all...]

[rewritethis]

[And the constant yelling at her wasn't a clue?

Screw it - if she's going to be obnoxious, there's no point trying to spare her feelings.] Do I have to spell it out? Because you're a pony.

[elementofloyalty]

...what does that have to do with anything?

[rewritethis]

[Hey, here's something he didn't promise not to do: grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she stops wallowing. It's not something he's doing just yet, but he's clearly thinking about it.]

And how many of those did you see at the auction? The date auction, Dash.

[elementofloyalty]

It's not like it was serious and I was gonna be bound to anyone for life, Ed. What does that have to do with anything?

[She isn't intentionally using his own logic against him! It's just a benefit.]

[rewritethis]

But it's still weird, isn't it? [This all seems really obvious to him...] So what if it didn't mean anything serious? For all you know, that could've just discouraged anyone who thought about bidding on you to prove some political point.

[elementofloyalty]

No, I don't think it's weird. [Humans REALLY need some exposure to more intelligent species, in Rainbow's opinion.] I bid on you, remember? Even if it was just to get you off the hook.